Earthquake-induced increases in streamflow, producing ∼0.7 km 3 of total excess water, were documented after the 1999 (M w = 7.5) Chi-Chi earthquake in central Taiwan. Analysis of stream gauge data and well records suggests that the excess water originated in the mountains. We propose that the extensive high-angle fractures formed during the earthquake allow rapid release of water from mountains and that mountains in tectonically active areas may be repeatedly flushed by meteoric water at time intervals comparable to the recurrence time of large earthquakes.


This article introduces the Special Topic Forum (STF) on Service Supply Chains (SSC). A fundamental purpose of the STF is to more clearly define the field of SSC research and to provide conceptual foundations, as well as empirical observations. A review of SSC literature shows three perspectives of SSC research that correspond to the source-make-deliver processes from the well-known supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model. The STF contains articles that assume each of the three SSC perspectives: sourcing of services, making services, and services involved in product delivery. A fourth paper introduces a newer perspective in which the customer is the center of a network of interrelated service providers. This STF can serve as a springboard for future SSC research.


Innocence is trampled as debauchery and brutality reign unfettered in the world of child molesters. Reports of the sexual assault and molestation of innocent children - arguably the most vulnerable members of our community - weigh on the hearts and minds of all Americans. The magnitude of this problem is readily conveyed through statistics. One of every four girls is sexually assaulted before the age of eighteen, and one in six boys meets the same unfortunate fate.1 Though most child sex offenders will harm between one and nine victims, approximately twenty percent will target ten to forty children.2 Each year an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 children are sexually molested in the United States.3 Terrifyingly, these staggering rates continue to rise.4 Though the increase can be attributed at least in part to "an increase in actual identification and reporting of child sexual abuse," concern for the magnitude of this problem properly remains.5 The release of convicted child molesters following the conclusion of their prison terms helps fuel these unsettling assault statistics. In a single year, 4300 convicted child sex offenders were freed from prison.6 One study suggests that "recidivism in chud molesters ranges from twenty-two to forty percent," whereas other researchers estimate that long-term relapse rates approach fifty percent.7 These horrific crimes are all too frequent and recidivism rates far too high. As haunting images of child victims like JonBenet Ramsey's striking bright eyes8 and Jessica Lunsford's wide smile and fuzzy pink hat9 blaze across media wires, a resounding outcry is heard demanding protection for our fragile youth. As the traditional formula of incarceration leading to parole is criticized in light of the undeniably high recidivism rates for sexual deviants, several states have responded by providing voluntary castration as an alternative means of rehabilitation, and others consider adding the treatment to their books.10 Though lawmakers and convicts alike rally behind enacting statutory provisions for voluntary castration, many opponents are appropriately concerned that the punishment violates the Eighth Amendment.11 This Note seeks to determine whether the Constitution's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment should bar sentences with the option of voluntary castration. Part I analyzes the Eighth Amendment, considering both the law's derivation and subsequent case history developing the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause's meaning. Applying analytical themes extracted from Supreme Court case law, Part ? evaluates whether voluntary castration - achieved chemically or surgically - is constitutional. Concluding that chemical, but not surgical, castration should be deemed permissible, the discussion in Part Hl examines whether courts should allow waiver of Eighth Amendment protections. This Note suggests that because waiver of Eighth Amendment protections against unjust punishments should never be permitted, only voluntary chemical castration may be adopted as a constitutional punishment.12 The penalty of surgical castration, even if submitted to freely, is cruel and unusual. I. UNDERSTANDING THE EIGHTH AMENDMENT'S PROHIBITION OF CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT A short though powerful protection of individual rights, the Eighth Amendment states in full: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."13 By declining to explicitly enumerate the punishments prohibited by the Amendment, the drafters helped establish a "flexible and dynamic" standard of scrutiny.14 Consistent with the drafters' original intent, the Supreme Court has refused to compose an exhaustive list of punishments precluded by the Amendment.15 In particular, the Court has yet to directly address the constitutionality of voluntary castration. 16 Without such an unequivocal decision, the legality of the punishment can only be deciphered in the context of the Amendment' s origins and the developing case law. …


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether viscosupplementation with intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) injections improves pain and function in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) in their knees.

DATA SOURCES
We searched MEDLINE, Pre-MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases using the MeSH headings and key words osteoarthritis (knee) and hyaluronic acid.

STUDY SELECTION
English-language case series and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected. Studies with biologic, histologic, or arthroscopic outcomes were excluded.

SYNTHESIS
Five case series and 13 RCTs were critically appraised. Data from three case series and three RCTs using injections of high-molecular-weight HA (Synvisc) demonstrated significant improvement in pain, activity levels, and function. The beneficial effect started as early as 12 weeks. Studies using low-molecular-weight HA had conflicting results.

CONCLUSION
Viscosupplementation with high-molecular-weight HA is an effective treatment for patients with knee OA who have ongoing pain or are unable to tolerate conservative treatment or joint replacement. Viscosupplementation appears to have a slower onset of action than intra-articular steroids, but the effect seems to last longer.


Currently, there is particular interest in the molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution in bacteria. Neisseria is a genus of gram negative bacteria, and there has recently been considerable focus on its two human pathogenic species N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae. Until now, no genome-wide studies have attempted to scan for the genes related to adaptive evolution. For this reason, we selected 18 Neisseria genomes (14 N. meningitidis, 3 N. gonorrhoeae and 1 commensal N. lactamics) to conduct a comparative genome analysis to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the roles of natural selection and homologous recombination throughout the history of adaptive evolution. Among the 1012 core orthologous genes, we identified 635 genes with recombination signals and 10 genes that showed significant evidence of positive selection. Further functional analyses revealed that no functional bias was found in the recombined genes. Positively selected genes are prone to DNA processing and iron uptake, which are essential for the fundamental life cycle. Overall, the results indicate that both recombination and positive selection play crucial roles in the adaptive evolution of Neisseria genomes. The positively selected genes and the corresponding amino acid sites provide us with valuable targets for further research into the detailed mechanisms of adaptive evolution in Neisseria.


Using the planar waveguide concept in surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology is often advantageous when the modeling of transversely distributed phenomena is indispensable for an accurate design of SAW devices. This is especially true when complex multi-track structures such as transversely coupled resonator filters (TCRFs) are under consideration where, e.g., transverse velocity and stiffness profiles have to be incorporated in the device simulation. The interdigital transducers (IDTs) and the reflector gratings composing those devices behave as planar waveguides, supporting, in principle, all kinds of modes such as bound, semi-bound, and radiation modes. Therefore, to model these SAW propagation effects, we subdivide the SAW structures in transverse direction into several parallel waveguiding channels (N regions), and take, as the wave-describing quantity, a two-dimensional scalar potential function. By doing so, we obtain a complete set of orthonormal modes into which an arbitrary transverse excitation function can be expanded to study its propagation. The general mode spectrum includes a discrete spectrum of bound modes and continuous spectra of semi-bound and radiation modes. We calculate all types of modes by making use of the stack matrix technique. The present work, which arose from the requirement of creating an efficient mathematical tool for the simulation of TCRFs, provides the complete analysis of general SAW multi-channel structures.


High circulating dephosphorylated (dp) uncarboxylated (uc) matrix Gla protein (MGP) and uc osteocalcin (OC) concentrations are regarded as markers of vitamin K-deficiency. However, because MGP and OC are small molecules, they may potentially pass the glomerulus, and their blood concentrations may strongly depend on kidney function. However, many studies with vitamin K-status parameters do not structurally adjust for baseline kidney function, and detailed studies on kidney function-dependence of vitamin K-status markers are lacking. We therefore measured plasma dp-ucMGP using a chemiluminescent assay in 578 kidney transplant recipients (41% females, age 56 ± 13y, 7.5 (3.2 to 13.7)y after transplantation, eGFR 49 ± 17 mL/min/1.73 m2) participating in the prospective TransplantLines Cohort Studies. Additionally, dp-carboxylated MGP, ucOC and carboxylated OC were measured using ELISA in plasma of a subgroup of 60 participants. Finally, dp-ucMGP was measured in a separate cohort of 124 kidney transplant recipients before and three months after kidney transplantation. Dp-ucMGP positively correlated with creatinine, cystatin C, and negatively with eGFR (Spearman's ρ 0.54, 0.60, and −0.54, respectively, p < 0.001 for all), and each 10 mL/min/1.73 m2 increase in eGFR was associated with a 14.0% lower dp-ucMGP. Additionally, dp-ucMGP strongly declined after kidney transplantation (pretransplantation: 1252 (868 to 1744) pmol/L to posttransplantation: 609 (451 to 914) pmol/L, p < 0.001). Proportions of dp-ucMGP over total MGP and ucOC over total OC were not associated with eGFR. This study highlights that dp-ucMGP is strongly associated with kidney function, and that levels strongly decrease after kidney transplantation. We therefore propose adequate adjustment for kidney function, or the use of kidney function-independent parameters such as proportion of uncarboxylated MGP or OC in the assessment of vitamin K-status in clinical practice and research.


Febrile seizures may be the most common seizure disorder affecting children between the ages of six and 60 months. Febrile seizures may be classified as simple, complex and symptomatic. Simple febrile seizures may last for less than 15 minutes. Possible causes of febrile seizures may include a genetic predisposition, infection and certain vaccines. The management of febrile seizures includes the use of antipyretics, and depending on the duration of the seizure, the use of anticonvulsants. This article deals with the management of febrile seizures in paediatrics. Incorporating the pharmacist as part of the clinical team, and using appropriate educational tools, may assist febrile seizure prognosis. © Medpharm


This article reports the efficiency of surface modification of titanium particles based on an alkyl phosphate. Different techniques were used to evaluate the behavior of the samples after modification, in terms of better particle dispersion tendency in response to type and quantity of modifier incorporation (TiO2 anatase in crystalline form). The TiO2 nanotubes were synthesized and their surfaces were modified by chemical reaction. Concerning elucidation of the efficiency of anchoring the modifier on the surface of the nanoparticles, the proposed approaches were effective because the treated particles had more active sites. This resulted in efficient disaggregation of the particles, generating lower aggregation and likely smaller particles within the aggregates, by decreasing particle-particle interaction. The use of NMR relaxometry was very useful to probe the chemical modification and also to ascertain the extent of surface modification.


Forty-six plate painters, heavily exposed to cobalt blue dye, took part in this cross-sectional study, and 51 top-glaze painters served as the referents. The study comprised a questionnaire, a health examination, a lung function test, and the determination of the blood and urinary cobalt levels. The plate painters were examined twice, at the end of a workfree period and after resuming work. More plate painters complained of irritation from the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat, cough, and expectoration than the referents. The symptoms increased after the plate painters resumed work. The cobalt level of the plate-painting group after six weeks off work was twice as high in the blood and five times higher in the urine than the corresponding values of the reference group. After the plate painters resumed work, the blood and urinary levels increased approximately 4 and 15 times, respectively. Increased airflow resistance was found in the plate group when compared with the referents, and signs of small airway obstruction increased after the plate painters resumed work. The pulse rate was higher among the plate painters, and minor changes in the red blood cell picture were observed. None of these adverse health effects were associated with the cobalt levels in the blood or urine.


This note provides a description of a procedure that is designed to efficiently optimize expensive black-box functions. It uses the response surface methodology by incorporating radial basis functions as the response model. A simple method based on a Latin hypercube is used for initial sampling. A modified version of CORS algorithm with space rescaling is used for the subsequent sampling. The procedure is able to scale on multicore processors by performing multiple function evaluations in parallel. The source code of the procedure is written in Python.


The increase in intensification of aquaculture production has been accompanied by an increase in impacts of pathogenic diseases. Large populations of stock maintained in close proximity have left much of the aquaculture industry susceptible to major economic losses caused by disease. As a consequence, and due to the variety of negative impacts associated with chemotherapeutics, development of immunoprophylaxis has received great impetus as a preventive disease management strategy for finfish. The most commonly used methods for fish immunoprophylaxis - injection and immersion - are generally associated with high procedural cost and access constraints. Oral immunoprophylaxis strategies for finfish, the main focus of this thesis, are able to effectively obviate these constraints and have therefore been proposed as an ideal approach for fish health management.
Due to performance inconsistencies linked to digestive degradation of orally administered antigens, oral immunoprophylaxis strategies have not been widely implemented in aquaculture. This thesis examined the feasibility of alginate microcapsules manufactured using a low impact technology and reagents to protect orally delivered immunogens for immunoprophylaxis of finfish. The microencapsulation method developed was found to be well suited for oral immunoprophylaxis of fish, as demonstrated by successful uptake of microcapsules and systemic distribution of contents ex vivo and in vivo, as well as the ability to affect controlled release of contents in target environmental conditions. The method also demonstrated no adverse impact on the integrity of the encapsulated substance, implying applicability to a broad range of immunoprophylactic materials.
The microencapsulation method was adapted for use with live microbial cells, and its viability as a disease management strategy was assessed against pathogenic disease of temperate and coldwater fish, bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD), which is caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum. The protective efficacy of a putative probiotic Enterobacter species (C6-6) against BCWD was examined when administered as an alginate microencapsulated oral treatment. A similar trial was performed to test the effectiveness of an orally administered, alginate microencapsulated live-attenuated vaccine (B17) against BCWD. In both trials, the modified method was successfully used to microencapsulate the live cell antigens while maintaining their viability. Though achieving significantly better fish survival than in untreated controls, oral administration of C6-6 was not as effective as intraperitoneal (IP) injection in protecting fish against BCWD. In contrast, orally administered B17 achieved similar serum antibody titres and survival as IP administered B17, with survival in both groups significantly better than untreated controls. An elevated challenge pressure made it difficult to draw clear conclusions regarding efficacy, though the similarities in treatment outcomes suggested that orally administered B17 could potentially approach the effectiveness of IP injected administration.
Yersinia ruckeri, the causative agent of yersiniosis in fish, is is a ubiquitous finfish pathogen affecting a broad range of species, and has been responsible for severe mortality in fish stocks globally. It is also capable of establishing and maintaining asymptomatic infections in apparently healthy fish, which act as reservoirs of infection within populations. A non-destructive technique for reliable detection of low levels of Y. ruckeri is necessary for effective management of the disease. A highly sensitive quantitative real-time PCR-based assay targeting the Y. ruckeri 16S-ribosomal gene was developed, capable of reliably detecting single-cell presence of the pathogen in spleen and faecal samples. The assay was able to detect Y. ruckeri in faecal samples at levels lower than previously possible, presenting the possibility of screening populations for asymptomatic infection without the need for invasive sampling.
Yersiniosis is conventionally managed by immersion immunisation in small fish and injected vaccines for larger fish. Large-scale Y. ruckeri infections have observed in fish smaller than typical minimum size immunised in the industry. Consequently, protecting fry at early developmental stages is important, and the effectiveness of an alginate-microencapsulated vaccine orally administered to first feeding fry was investigated. Significant protection following pathogenic challenge indicated considerable potential, though the treatments did not affect establishment rate of asymptomatic infection in survivors. The lack of typical adaptive immune responses made it difficult to draw clear conclusions regarding the mechanisms responsible for the protection observed.
The work presented in this thesis establishes the feasibility of oral immunoprophylaxis for finfish. A versatile, low-impact alginate microencapsulation-based method for oral administration of a variety of immunogens is presented. Its potential as a health management strategy is demonstrated against known finfish diseases, though further optimisation of the approach will be greatly aided by an increased understanding of mucosal immune responses in finfish.


This is something of an unusual paper. It serves as both the reason for and the result of a small number of leading academics in the field, coming together to focus on the question that serves as the title to this paper: What is the problem to which interactive multimedia is the solution? Each of the authors addresses this question from their own viewpoint, offering informed insights into the development, implementation and evaluation of multimedia. The result of their collective work was also the focus of a Western Australian Institute of Educational Research seminar, convened at Edith Cowan University on 18 October, 1994.

The question posed is deliberately rhetorical - it is asked to allow those represented here to consider what they think are the significant issues in the fast-growing field of multimedia. More directly, the question is also asked here because nobody else has considered it worth asking: for many multimedia is done because it is technically possible, not because it offers anything that is of value or provides the solution to a particular problem.

The question, then, is answered in various ways by each of the authors involved and each, in their own way, consider a range of fundamental issues concerning the nature, place and use of multimedia - both in education and in society generally. By way of an introduction, the following provides a unifying context for the various contributions made here.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between social media use and smartphone use and autistic traits in adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: Fifty-six adoles-cent patients diagnosed with MDD were included. The Autism Spectrum Questionnaire-Adolescent Version (ASQ-A), the Social Media Use Disorder Scale (SMDS), the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short version (SAS-SV) the Children's Depression Inventory, and Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and lifetime version-Turkish version were applied to the participants. Results: The mean total ASQ-A score was determined to be below the defined cutoff points. Adolescents diagnosed with depression with high autistic traits (AT) showed a significantly higher depression score than the low AT group. In the correlation analysis, a signi-ficant positive relationship was determined between the depression score and the SMDS score (r=0.301) and between the SMDS score and the SAS-SV score (r=0.603). In the correlation analysis of the ASQ-A and the SMDS subscales, a significant positive relationship was determined between social skills and persistence, social skills and escape, and communication and withdrawal. Conclusion: The current study results present a different perspective that the determination of autistic traits in the depressive disorder could be important in determining treatment strategies. When determining the treatment strategies for adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorder, it may be important to determine autistic traits and to strengthen and support these difficulties by providing psychosocial interventions to increase social skills and communication in the context of cognitive and behavioral interventions to replace social media use for the adolescents to feel better and avoid stressful situations and negative mental states. Further long-term studies could show whether autistic traits create vulnerability to depression.


The effects of optical guiding on sideband instabilities in a Raman free-electron laser (FEL) are studied numerically and experimentally. An axisymmetric two-dimensional (2D) computer code that includes the effects of space charge and diffraction in an overmoded waveguide is developed to simulate sideband growth in the Columbia University FEL, which generates radiation of millimeter wavelength. It is found in both the simulation and the experiment that the effect of refractive optical guiding, which slows down the radiation group velocity, shifts the sidebands away from the signal carrier. We also find numerically that refractive optical guiding enhances the filling factor of the electron beam and perturbs the electron distribution, and thereby increases the sideband growth rate. We show that the sideband growth rate can be depressed by tuning the FEL so that the real part of the effective index of refraction associated with the electron beam decreases. The effect of wiggler tapering on the sideband growth is also studied with the 2D code. A significant reduction in the sideband growth rate in an efficiency-enhanced wiggler has been demonstrated and is qualitatively consistent with experimental measurements.


AbstractOBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a 2-hour, multicomponent educational intervention on provider skin cancer control practices.
 DESIGN: Nonrandomized intervention study. The intervention was a 2-hour curriculum designed to augment provider skin cancer control practices through instruction in basic skin cancer triage (BSCT) and a brief summary of skin cancer epidemiology, prevention, and counseling.
 SETTING: Staff-model health maintenance organization in southeastern New England.
 PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of primary care providers. Providers older than age 75, individuals in practice for less than 1 year, or individuals planning to retire in the next 2 years were excluded from the study. Twenty-two of 28 participants completed the study.
 RESULTS: Providers completed preintervention and postintervention surveys asking them to rate their attitudes towards skin examination and skin cancer counseling and to rate the frequency of their skin cancer control practices, using 5-point Likert scales. We independently assessed provider behavior through surveys of their patients, eliciting information on provider practices before and after BSCT participation. Following participation in the curriculum, there was significant improvement in provider attitudes towards the total body skin examination but not towards skin cancer prevention counseling. Significant increases in provider self-reported skin cancer control practices during an initial visit with a new patient (2.17 to 3.21, P<.0001) and a routine visit with a patient at high risk for melanoma (2.15 to 3.00, P<.0001) were demonstrated. Patient exit interviews independently confirmed these changes in practice patterns.
 CONCLUSIONS: The study results suggest that the BSCT curriculum may be a useful tool in increasing the practice of skin cancer control measures by primary care providers.


Analytic theology seeks to utilize conceptual tools and resources from contemporary analytic philosophy for ends that are properly theological. As a theological methodology relatively new movement in the academic world, this novelty might render it illegitimate. However, I argue that there is much in the recent analytic theological literature that can find a methodological antecedent championed in the fourteenth century known as declarative theology. In distinction from deductive theology—which seeks to extend the conclusions of theology beyond the articles of faith—declarative theology strives to make arguments for the articles of faith. It does it not to provoke epistemic assent to the truth of the articles, but serves as a means of faith seeking understanding. In this paper, examples are drawn from recent analytic discussions to illustrate the manner that analytic theology has been, is, and can be an instance of declarative theology, and thus a legitimate theological enterprise for today.


Sovereign ratings are designed to mitigate investors' risk exposure by highlighting the fiscal condition of governments. The problem is that sovereign ratings entail reciprocal oversight of rating agencies and sovereign governments — which raises conflicts of interest and, ironically, creates incentives for distorted risk assessments. Private rating agencies hold sovereign governments accountable by assessing their risk exposure, while sovereign governments hold rating agencies accountable through regulation. Both sovereign governments and rating agencies have incentives to leverage their mutual oversight to obscure risk taking and minimize accountability. During booms, governments and rating agencies have convergent interests in understating risks until market bubbles are on the cusp of bursting because bubbles produce higher tax revenue and profits. During busts, both sides blame one another for failing to accurately gauge risks, which fosters regulatory stalemates that perpetuate the absence of public and private accountability. Once the dust settles, the cycle of risk tolerance continues again with neither set of actors providing meaningful oversight of the other as both rating agencies and governments benefit from the renewed growth of the financial sector.Overseeing rating agencies is difficult for sovereign governments because they face the temptation to abuse regulatory powers to neutralize rating agencies' ability to push back and expose the fiscal overstretch of governments. The simple alternative would be to utilize a self-regulatory organization approach to balance the need for regulation with rating-agency independence. But the stumbling block for self-regulation is that rating agencies are an oligopoly as three firms account for 96% of ratings, and self-regulation could reinforce the market power and entrenchment of the leading rating agencies. Instead, this Article advocates an intermediation strategy of integrating a broader array of ratings stakeholders into a stakeholder regulatory organization to oversee the industry. A range of stakeholders rely on the accuracy and integrity of ratings and would have an interest in ensuring that rating-agency regulation balances the need for greater procedural and substantive accountability with the need for rating-agency independence from the government. This approach would not deal with the other side of the coin — the fiscal overstretch of sovereign governments that have exposed them to increasing rating-agency scrutiny, which is a far more complex problem that is beyond the scope of this Article. But the logic is that integrating end users of ratings into deliberative processes will mitigate industry biases and produce rules that preempt the need for government regulation.


How did people in 17th- and 18th-century Sweden understand and evaluate magic? To what extent did the attitudes of different social groups vary and how did they change during this period of substantial mental and social upheaval? The aim of this thesis is to examine these questions through a study of legislation, court records and writings of the educated elite. Attitudes towards magic are investigated from five different aspects: terminology and definitions (Which terms were used to signify magical phenomena and how were these terms defined?), contrasts (Which kinds of phenomena were seen as the opposites of magic?), values (How were different kinds of magic valued - as good or bad, permitted or forbidden?), beliefs (To what degree did people consider magic real or doubt its existence?), and measures (How was it thought appropriate to deal with magical rites and conceptions?). Concerning malevolent magic and pacts with the Devil there was an agreement between people in general, mainly peasants, artisans and soldiers, and the authorities. These types of magic were seen as evil and dangerous crimes, being physical threats against other people. Pacts with the Devil were also seen as ghastly deeds against God. When it came to benevolent magic, popular attitudes differed from official views. The official attitude was clearly negative. Magic of all sorts had its source in Satan, and was therefore a threat against God and the Christian faith. Among the lower classes benevolent magic was tolerated and even appreciated. Some of the accused defended their actions and emphatically argued that their opinion was correct. The strongest arguments were that God had given them the ability co heal and work miracles, and that they used it for the benefit of their fellow Christians out of Christian love and charity. Such statements actually challenged the official definition of Christian religion. This is why the authorities were particularly aggressive about benevolent magic. On one point the change in attitudes towards magic was particularly clear, namely regarding beliefs about its reality. Many signs point towards a secularisation of attitudes, as witnessed by the tendency to replace supernatural explanations with natural ones and adopt a more sceptical view of magic. The development can, in the long term, be seen as a transition from a view founded in a general distinction between cosmic. good and cosmic evil co a view emphasising a general difference between what is real and unreal. In other words the question about what was actually true became more important than the issue of good and evil. Magic was also used as a component when creating an image of the Other. Members of the educated male elite used superstition as part of the counter-image of how they conceived themselves and wanted to be. Swedish 18th-century men who regarded themselves as enlightened criticised what they called superstition. Superstition was connected with several negative phenomena like fear, emotionality, women and above all ignorance regarding God and nature.


The article deals with a case of conventional mechanical ventilation in 75 y.o. woman with the background of uncompensated diabetes mellitus, suffering from bilateral pneumonia with predominantly left-sided lesion and severe sepsis. The conventional mechanical ventilation with high pressure levels led to arterial hypoxemia with P/F ratio 52. Independent lung ventilation immediately increased oxygenation up to P/F ratio 225 and evidently improved left lung aeration. The case demonstrates that while applying high pressures to open alveoli, we could not only provoke ventilator-induced lung injury and low cardiac output, but also "squeeze out" pulmonary perfusion from ventilated areas to non-ventilated ones with less intraalveolar pressure levels.


Although sulfite is widely used to counteract enzymatic browning, its mechanism has remained largely unknown. We describe a double inhibitory mechanism of sulfite on enzymatic browning, affecting both the enzymatic oxidation of phenols into o‑quinones, as well as the non‑enzymatic reactions of these o‑quinones into brown pigments. The non‑enzymatic step is inhibited by formation of addition products of sulfite and o‑quinones, sulfophenolics. Sulfonated derivatives of chlorogenic acid were found in sulfite‑treated potato juice, and their structure was confirmed by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Sulfonation of chlorogenic acid was demonstrated to occur via tyrosinase‑catalyzed o‑quinone formation. Tyrosinase activity was also irreversibly inactivated, in a relative slow time‑dependent way. Simultaneous treatment of tyrosinase with sulfite and competitive inhibitors of tyrosinase did not result in irreversible inactivation, indicating that sulfite acts in the active site of tyrosinase. LC‑MS analysis of protease digests of sulfite‑treated tyrosinase indicated that inactivation occurred via covalent modification of a single amino acid residue in the active site, most likely a copper‑coordinating histidine residue, which is conserved in all PPOs. As the use of sulfite is controversial, we investigated the effect of potential natural inhibitors of enzymatic browning. Two different polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) were used to screen 60 plant extracts for potential inhibitors. PPOs were found to respond differently to these extracts: an extract that inhibited one PPO could activate the other. This suggests that natural alternatives to replace more generic anti‑browning agents, such as sulfite, are PPO specific.


India's urbanising middle class is at the brink of an unprecedented increase in residential cooling demand, yet little is understood about the dynamics of changing cooling consumption. Based on empirical analyses, this research examines a set of fundamental questions around India's cooling transition. How is cooling conceptualised and what cooling strategies do households use? How, when and why are people purchasing and using their air conditioners (ACs)? Who is buying energy-efficient ACs? Is cooling consumption gendered? Using descriptive statistics, machine learning, and regression analysis to characterize AC usage, we examine a sample dataset (n = 2092) that is representative of areas in Delhi with above average AC penetration. We unpack perceptions of thermal comfort, and characterize the conditions under which households have greater AC use and make energy efficient purchase choices. AC usage is found to be a function of household habits (such as exposure to ACs in the workplace or schools), structural factors, and socio demographic features. While most ACs are in the middle energy-efficiency range, preferences, behaviours and awareness around energy efficiency are found to affect AC use as well as influence the purchase of more efficient ACs. Notable gender differences are observed, and women are found to be less involved in decision-making around cooling appliances and less aware of the technical know-how or energy-efficient schemes. Policy recommendations for a low-carbon cooling trajectory are discussed.


A highly efficient one-pot procedure for the synthesis of indolines and their homologues based on a domino Cu-catalyzed amidation/nucleophilic substitution reaction has been developed. Substituted 2-iodophenethyl mesylates and related compounds afforded the corresponding products in excellent yields. No erosion of optical purity was observed when transforming enantiomerically pure mesylates under the reaction conditions.


Activation of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase D (PLD) has been proposed to play roles in numerous cellular pathways including signal transduction and membrane vesicular trafficking. We previously reported the cloning of two mammalian genes, PLD1 and PLD2, that encode PLD activities. We additionally reported that PLD1 is activated in a synergistic manner by protein kinase c-α (PKC-α), ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1), and Rho family members. We describe here molecular analysis of PLD1 using a combination of domain deletion and mutagenesis. We show that the amino-terminal 325 amino acids are required for PKC-α activation of PLD1 but not for activation by ARF1 and RhoA. This region does not contain the sole PKC-α interaction site and additionally functions to inhibit basal PLD activity in vivo. Second, a region of sequence unique to PLD1 (as compared with other PLDs) known as the "loop" region had been proposed to serve as an effector regulatory region but is shown here only to mediate inhibition of PLD1. Finally, we show that modification of the amino terminus, but not of the carboxyl terminus, is compatible with PLD enzymatic function and propose a simple model for PLD activation.


Are we really connected to the steps and act of recycling and reuse? Is the modern American vision for recycling too clean and removed from the reality of our waste? Images are a series of observations about a single example of community, value-based recycling from Shanghai. The images challenge us to reflect on what we can learn from other approaches.


We present a very simple method for extending pretrained machine translation metrics to incorporate document-level context. We apply our method to four popular metrics: BERTScore, Prism, COMET, and the reference-free metric COMET-QE. We evaluate our document-level metrics on the MQM annotations from the WMT 2021 metrics shared task and find that the document-level metrics outperform their sentence-level counterparts in about 85% of the tested conditions, when excluding results on low-quality human references. Additionally, we show that our document-level extension of COMET-QE dramatically improves accuracy on discourse phenomena tasks, supporting our hypothesis that our document-level metrics are resolving ambiguities in the reference sentence by using additional context.


How to justify Non-Resuscitation? The question whether to resuscitate or not belongs to the most controversial issues of medical ethics. This paper wants to give an insight into the German way of discussion on this topic. First it gives an overview of the most important codifications concerning resuscitation. Then it treats the question who is to be involved in do-not-resuscitate-decisions. The central point of the paper is the question of futile treatment and the question of the normative structures which are present in German discussion.


Welcome! This guide will point you to research resources for a variety of Environmental Management related topics. See also Environmental Science, & Environmental Studies research guides.


Transportation networks with intrinsic flow dynamics governed by the Kirchhoff's current law are ubiquitous in natural and engineering systems. There has been recent work on designing optimal transportation networks based on biological principles with the goal to minimize the total dissipation associated with the flow. Despite being biologically inspired, e.g., adaptive network design based on slime mold Physarum polycephalum, such methods generally lead to suboptimal networks due to the difficulty in finding a global or nearly global optimum of the nonconvex optimization function. Here we articulate a design paradigm that combines engineering control and biological principles to realize optimal transportation networks. In particular, we show how small control signals applied only to a fraction of edges in an adaptive network can lead to solutions that are far more optimal than those based solely on biological principles. We also demonstrate that control signals, if not properly designed, can lead to networks that are less optimal. Incorporating control principle into biology-based optimal network design has broad applications not only in biomedical science and engineering but also in other disciplines such as civil engineering for designing resilient infrastructure systems.


Objective Recent studies have shown that sleep problems occur in migraineurs and poor sleep causes chronification, but the mechanisms by which chronic migraine affects sleep quality are still unknown. This review aims to analyze commonly reported sleep disturbances in chronic migraine (CM) and determine the effect of CM on sleep quality. Materials and Methods We conducted a comprehensive review of all published articles on CM and sleep quality from inception to March 2022 in the literature. Clinical trials, observational studies, and case series (≥20 cases) were included. Two reviewers and a supervisor reviewed the titles and abstracts of all search results with predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. PubMed search for randomized controlled trials and open studies on CM and sleep quality reported in English between 1983 and 2022 was conducted using the keywords including chronic migraine, sleep, insomnia, sleep quality, polysomnography, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results A total of 535 potentially relevant articles were found. A total of 455 articles and reviews, meta-analyses published in any language other than English, with other exclusion criteria, were excluded from the review. In the remaining articles, 36 clinical studies, reviewing sleep quality and its association with migraine, were identified and reviewed. Evidence from this review shows that poor sleep and migraine chronicity are intertwined with other accompanying comorbidities and dysregulation of circadian rhythm that innovative treatments promise to bring relief to both poor sleep as well as migraine. Conclusion Sleep disorders are common in CM and the association between migraine chronification and sleep quality is bidirectional. Comorbid conditions with accompanying frequent attacks in migraine may impair sleep quality. While the maladaptive pain process worsens sleep, poor sleep quality also negatively affects migraine pain. Sleep disturbance, which is affected by worsening migraine attacks, causes deterioration in the quality of life, loss of workforce, and economic burden.


We have examined the ability of gingival fibroblasts (GF) to participate in inflammatory response and function as accessory immune cells. The accessory immune function of GF cells was evaluated by their ability to elaborate proinflammatory cytokines following stimulation with lipopolysaccharides and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). Using three separate clonally derived and characterized human gingival fibroblast (GF) cell lines, we demonstrate that LPS from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) and Escherichia coli (Ec) induce mRNA and synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1 beta, IL-6 and IL-8. IL-1 beta activation of GF cells showed that IL-1 beta non only induces the expression of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha, but also acts in an autocrine manner of GF cells and induces IL-1 beta expression. Furthermore, the continuous presence of IL-1 beta in GF cell cultures did not down regulate the response of GF cells to IL-1 beta. Pretreatment of GF cells with IL-1 beta resulted in the enhanced synthesis of TNF-alpha in response to additional IL-1 beta. These findings indicate that GF cells, in addition to providing structural support, may also function as accessory immune cells and play an important role in the initial inflammatory reaction as well as in the amplification of immune response.


This project entitled electrochemical study of graphene-ionic liquid composites. A unique combination of excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical properties has made graphene a multi-functional reinforcement for polymers. The objectives of this project are: to fabricate graphene by electrolytic exfoliation and to characterize graphene-ionic liquid composites by physical, chemical characterization and electrochemical study. In this project, graphene will be fabricated by using electrolytic exfoliation method. Then, FTIR spectroscopy and BET analyzer were used to characterize exfoliated graphene. In order to measure electrochemical behaviour of graphene-ionic liquid composite, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used. Results show that graphene-ionic liquid composites exhibit linear redox diffusion on the surface, a good criteria for electrode material. This can be observed via cylic voltammetry. Graphene-ionic liquid composites also show good conductivity with low impedance value in the Nyquist plot. This material can be a new versatile soft material with numerous advantages.


SCIENTISTS INTERESTED in filling in the therapeutic blanks about medicinal marijuana hope a new nonpartisan report will expedite applications for federal funds and supplies of the drug. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released the report early last month. It was written by an independent, 9-member panel of experts who presided over a 2-day workshop on medical marijuana that the NIH sponsored last February in Bethesda, Md. The workshop was convened in response to ballot initiatives last year in which voters in California and Arizona approved marijuana for medicinal use. In the report, the panel reiterated its support for further research to determine marijuana's therapeutic efficacy in 5 areas: appetite stimulation and cachexia; nausea and vomiting following anticancer therapy; neurologic and movement disorders; analgesia; and glaucoma. "In order to evaluate various hypotheses concerning the potential utility of marijuana in various therapeutic areas, more and better studies would be needed," panel


There is an unequal distribution of resources for higher education and research in the world, and the number of aid actors that focus on improving the research capacity of low-income countries has increased since the 1990's. Many aid actors have explicit ambitions of escaping a colonialist heritage as well as abandoning the linear view of science and technology development, but there is debate concerning whether this is being achieved. What methods of aiding research are there, and how is the link between research capacity and development portrayed? This paper is mainly based on previous research and discusses some of the dilemmas that the literature raises. It also illustrates some of these dilemmas by discussing the case of the Secretariat for Research Cooperation (Sarec), which in 1975 was one of the first bilateral aid agencies to engage in research aid.


Immunoreactivity of the calcium binging protein calretinin is often used as a marker of olfactory neurons. Although the immunoreactivity and density of olfactory neurons are known to change between developmental stages in the human fetus, previous descriptions have been limited to the olfactory epithelium and/or the nasal septum and have not included the entire nasal cavity. Using horizontal semi serial sections of heads of six mid-term fetuses (9-15 weeks of gestation), we examined the topographical anatomy of calretinin-positive olfactory neurons. By 9 weeks of gestation, the distribution of calretinin-positive cells reached levels inferior to the developing inferior meatus. By 12 weeks, concentrations in the inferior end had reached the level of the inferior meatus and the middle meatus carried abundant positive cells. However, by 15 weeks, calretinin positive cells were restricted to levels superior to the middle meatus and in the vomeronasal organ. Placode-derived cells are initially distributed antero-inferiorly along the nasal epithelium, but most lose their calretinin immunoreactivity. They might differentiate into the neuroendocrine cells embedded between nasal respiratory epithelial cells. The final differentiation of calretinin-positive cells was likely to require connection to the olfactory bulb and accessory bulb.


Sexualisation is changing the way we think about romantic love. According to recent research, young people are increasingly confronted by narrowing ideals of sexual attractiveness making romantic intimacy increasingly difficult (American Psychological Association, 2007) forcing a choice between "raunch or romance" (Bale, 2011). This article investigates the alleged distinction between romance and sexualisation, in the process challenging claims that the current crisis of sexualisation is a product of societal change in late modernity. Responding to a call to consider sexualisation from a hitherto neglected historical perspective (Egan and Hawkes, 2012), the paper employs critical discourse analysis to identify the formation of gendered meanings and practices in How the Good Wife Taught Her Daughter, a late medieval advice text for young women, and twenty-first century advice from the MyBliss website. Focusing on sexualised clothing, contact with others, reputation, and social status, the paper argues that in both medieval and modern advice, discourses of romantic love and sexualisation are mutually dependent. In addition, similarities between medieval and modern advice reveal that our current sexualisation crisis is not solely a product of modern life, but is part of a longer pattern of gender normativity and inequality.


Forest fire is one of the natural disturbances, which have important ecological and socioeconomical effect. Although fire activity is driven by weather conditions, during past two centuries forest fires have been strongly anthropogenically controlled. In this study, teleconnection between sea surface temperature (SST) in the Atlantic, which influences climate in Europe, and forest fire activity in Latvia and Estonia was assessed using "Climate explorer" web-tool. Factors affecting number and area of forest fires in Latvia and Estonia differed, suggesting regional specifics. In Estonia, the number of fires correlated with the SST in the North Atlantic in spring and summer, which affects the inflow of cool and dry air masses from the Arctic, hence the aridity and burnability. The area of fires in Estonia and in Latvia was associated with increased SST in Baltic Sea and near the European coast in summer, which likely were consequences of occurrence of warm high-pressure systems in summer, causing hot and dry conditions. Nevertheless, the observed teleconnections could be used to predict activity of forest fires in Latvia and Estonia.


A variety of insects are commonly fed to captive insectivores but detailed nutritional analyses are only available for the most commonly fed species. Soldier fly larvae, Turkestan cockroach nymphs, tebo worms, and adult house flies were analyzed for moisture, protein, fat, ash, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and selected carotenoids. The acid detergent fiber was analyzed for amino acids to estimate chitin content. Nutrient content varied widely between the four insect species. Ranges for the macronutrients were as follows: moisture (60.2-74.8%), crude protein (15.5-19.7%), crude fat (1.9%-29.4%), acid detergent fiber (1.4-3.0%), neutral detergent fiber (2.6-3.8%), and ash (0.8-3.5%). Energy content ranged from a low of 918 kcal/kg for house flies to 2,977 kcal/kg for tebo worms. The chitin content of these four species ranged from 6.7 to 21.0 mg/kg. The nutrients most likely to be deficient when these species of insects are used as food for insectivores are vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin E, thiamine, iodine, and vitamin B(12) . The number of nutrients deficient vs. the NRC requirements for rats on an energy basis by insect species was as follows: soldier fly larvae (3), tebo worms (15), Turkestan cockroach nymphs (5), and adult house flies (6). These data are valuable in helping assess the nutrient intake of captive insectivores and in developing gut-loading diets to improve the nutrient intake of captive insectivores.


In the era of ecological and economic crises all over the world, while the trend has drastically changed, most buildings in the developing countries are still built in a conventional way. The problem has roots in the fact that ecologically sustainable buildings are often initially challenging in design process and more costly compared to ordinary ones. On the other hand, there has been little research discussing the impact of sustainable architecture trend on real estate benefits and marketing of the buildings. Yet a lack of research investigating the importance of architecture in the marketplace of sustainable or green buildings especially high-rise ones is evident. This study presented current literature on sustainable architecture and an analysis of the building appraisal process in different locations and mainly in Iran with special attention to the perspective of architects active in high-rise construction. Keywords: architect, building, green, sustainable.


from coronary heart disease in the Scottish heart health study, and he hiypothesises that this may account for the high prevalence of coronary heart disease in some regions. The weight of evidence from other investigations and trials suggests otherwise. Firstly, no randomised controlled trial of primary prevention by diet, smoking reduction, or blood pressure control in a normal adult population has produced significant falls in mortality from coronary heart disease.' In one of the most extensive trials-the World Health Organisation collaborative trial-the mortality rose (insignificantly) in the United Kingdom wing, which had the largest fall in cigarette smoking-a 15-6% reduction in cigarettes smoked per day and a 4 5% reduction in the number of smokers.4 Although serum cholesterol concentrations are low in Japan, the prevalence of cigarette smoking is over 60% -well above that in Scotland. Nevertheless, mortality from coronary heart disease has been falling in both countries. Indeed it is still not widely known that the mortality from coronary heart disease in Scotland has fallen dramatically over the past 16 years for reasons that are far from clear and in spite of anything we as a community have done or failed to do to affect them. Unfortunately, we still do not know the cause (or causes) of coronary heart disease. Until we know more about the condition (or conditions) pleas to the public to tackle the problem by changing their habits reflect a pious hope based more on sophistry than science.


Amniotic fluid fluorescence polarization was determined in 105 pregnant diabetic women who delivered between 31 and 41 weeks gestation within 48 hours of an amniocentesis. Seventy-seven of these 105 women had lecithin/sph¡ngomyelin (L/S) ratio and phosphatidyglycerol (PG) determinations. Seven (6.6%) of the 105 neonates suffered from hyaline membrane disease (HMD). Fluorescence polarization at any cutoff value between 0.310 and 0.330 excluded reasonably well the possibility of HMD (false mature prediction rate, 2.7-3.4%). At these cutoff values, there was no difference in sensitivity and false mature prediction rate between fluorescence polarization and L/S ratio. However, PG determination was the most sensitive method and carried no false mature predictions.


Two recent papers in PLoS Pathogens have investigated the activity of antigen-specific cells within the lung of mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) [1], [2]. To the uninitiated this may seem to be redundant, as "we all know" that antigen-specific cells make interferon gamma (IFNγ) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which activate infected phagocytes to kill the bacteria. However, what we really know is that IFNγ and TNF are essential for controlling both bacterial growth and immunopathology and that the acquired immune response is critical to orchestrating immunity [3]. What we also know is that cessation of bacterial growth in the lungs correlates temporally with the accumulation of IFNγ-producing antigen-specific T cells in the infected lung [3]. But several questions have been circulating in the field for some time, including, What are effector T cells doing during tuberculosis to mediate protection, and How does the environment within the granuloma affect this activity? [3].

In the first of these stimulating PLoS Pathogens papers, Gallegos et al. provided compelling evidence that CD4 T cells can induce Mtb growth arrest, even when unable to secrete IFNγ, TNF, or both cytokines [1]. In the second paper, Bold et al. showed that CD4 T cell activation (as measured by production of IFNγ) is suboptimal in the lungs of infected animals, and they suggest that this contributes to the inability of the host to eliminate the infection; they also link this low frequency of T cell activation to the level of cognate antigen in the lung [2].

In the paper by Gallegos et al., they investigated the relevance of cytokine-producing CD4 T cells during experimental Mtb infection by the transfer of T cell receptor transgenic (TCR Tg) cells into host mice. They found that growth arrest over the first 21 days after aerosol challenge occurred even when these cells were unable to express the Th1-promoting transcription factor T-bet or to secrete IFNγ, TNF, or both cytokines [1]. Of equal importance was the fact that there was no need for host IFNγ, TNF, the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene, or superoxide-generating machinery to mediate this control [1]. This antigen-specific effect could be seen both with in vitro expanded and polarized T cells as well as, to a lesser degree, naive T cells [1]. In addition, the authors showed that this was not a property of all in vitro–generated cells, since Th2 differentiated cells could not induce Mtb growth arrest as efficiently as Th1 or even Th17 differentiated cells. While the mechanism was not identified, previously published data have shown that in vitro–generated memory CD4 T cells enhance protection in the flu model by induction of multiple innate cytokines and chemokines in the lung in an antigen-dependent, but IFNγ and TNF independent, manner [4]. Another possibility is that elevated precursor frequency may dampen the activation of antigen-specific regulatory T cells, and indeed, the authors report that the adoptively transferred cells delayed the priming of the endogenous response [1]. Recent data have shown that regulatory T cells are induced very early and can regulate effector function in the aerosol Mtb models [5]. Bold et al. considered the importance of competition in their study but were concerned that the endogenous response was limiting the transferred response as a result of competition or regulatory activity—they found, however, that depletion of half of the endogenous cells within the lung did not result in increased activation of the transferred effector cells [2].

The "take home" message of the Bold paper is that the frequency of cells that produce IFNγ is low, even at the peak of the response, and that it decreases during the chronic phase [2], supporting previous work that suggested this pattern [6]. In the Bold paper, just as in the Gallegos paper, the authors transferred pre-activated antigen-specific TCR Tg CD4 T cells and used the expression of IFNγ (assessed directly ex vivo) as a marker of antigen recognition. They showed that the frequency of IFNγ-producing cells correlated with the availability of cognate antigen and that delivery of the cognate peptide resulted in greatly increased frequency of cytokine expression [2]. They also saw a modest decrease in bacterial numbers when the antigen was either forcibly expressed by the Mtb or if the antigen was delivered exogenously to the infected mice. Initiation of CD4 T cell responses during tuberculosis occurs in the lung-draining lymph nodes rather than in the lung; however, the data by Bold et al. support the hypothesis that CD4 T cells need to see antigen once again within the infection site to express their effector function. Another recent paper, wherein intravital multiphoton imaging was used to compare the movement patterns and effector function of pre-activated and control TCR Tg CD4 T cells (from the p25 mouse specific for Ag85 [7] also used in [2]), has also shown that effector function is poorly expressed in the granuloma [8]. The authors made the surprising observations that both mycobacteria-specific and non-specific CD4 T cell migrated vigorously through the granuloma, with very few antigen-specific T cells showing migration arrest, a hallmark of potent antigen recognition and presentation. Despite the observed rapid migration, the antigen-specific cells reacted differently to the antigen in the environment as they upregulated CD69, whilst the control non-antigen-specific T cells did not. As was seen in the Bold paper, there was very little real-time expression of IFNγ within the granuloma in this model. These data were taken to reflect the failure of the available antigen to signal both migration arrest and cytokine production by the effector cell, and this was supported by the fact that delivery of exogenous peptide resulted in expression of these functions by the antigen-specific cells within the granuloma [8]. One exciting observation of this work was that the cells that did exhibit migration arrest could (but not always) produce a targeted release of cytokine to a closely adjacent infected cell; these data suggest that the accepted protective mechanism of T cell–derived IFNγ-mediation of infected phagocyte activation does occur in the granuloma.

However, putting these recent observations together, it is clear that the accepted mechanism may not be all there is to the control of Mtb. It would seem that expression of full effector activity by antigen-specific CD4 T cells within the granuloma is constrained by antigen availability and that there is the potential for antigen-specific T cells to mediate their effector function without the use of cytokine. As we cannot currently measure this effector function, other than by bacterial arrest, we cannot discount the possibility that the appropriate effector function is being expressed, but that it does not require significant migration arrest or cytokine production (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Effector T cells do not find the granuloma to be a stimulating environment.

Other factors to take into account when thinking about the above papers is the artificial nature of transferred TCR Tg T cells, which may allow them to act differently to endogenous responses. It is also important to remember that specific protective immune mechanisms have different levels of importance depending on the potency of the bacterial challenge (discussed in [9]). Most importantly, the relative levels of specific mycobacterial antigens, particularly Ag85, which is the target of the TCR Tg cells used to assess effector function in the granuloma [2], [8], change over time as a function of bacterial physiology in the face of host immunity [10], [11]. These changes in bacterial activity will substantially impact the readout to any one antigen, and it is therefore important to investigate the activity of cells specific for other antigen as well as to measure activities other than IFNγ production. Despite the caveats, these papers remind us that although bacterial growth ceases within the resistant mouse model, we still do not know quite how this occurs. These recent excellent papers prompt us to continue to investigate the microanatomy of T cell function within the granuloma and to not be content with "what we know".

Finally, the key question is, how can this information improve control of tuberculosis? It is certainly critical to define the protective effector functions of antigen-specific T cells as well as to determine the significance of suboptimal T cell activation. In this way we will be better able to design more effective vaccines and to determine whether the limited T cell activation in the granuloma is a host mechanism to cope with chronic infection or a mechanism Mtb evolved to prevent elimination by the host [12]. By continuing to pursue the above goals, we will be able to manipulate T cell responses in the infection site to enhance their effector function and to tip the balance of disease in favor of the host with minimal immunopathological consequences.


EDITORS NOTES 1 Carrie B. Kisker, Richard L. Wagoner 1. Elements of Effective Transfer Associate Degrees 5 Carrie B. Kisker, Richard L. Wagoner, Arthur M. Cohen This chapter outlines the elements of effective transfer associate degrees and discusses the policy impetuses of such reforms. 2. Transfer Associate Degrees in Historical Context 13 Arthur M. Cohen The author examines transfer associate degrees from a historical perspective, arguing that their implementation moves America s system of higher education away from long-ingrained, isolated practices and toward greater trust and collaboration among institutions. 3. The Successful Transfer Structure in Washington State 17 Jane Sherman, Michelle Andreas This chapter describes Washington State s effective and efficient transfer structure from historical and policy perspectives. 4. Widening and Wandering the Short Road to Success: The Louisiana Transfer Degree Guarantee 31 Kevin L. Cope In this chapter, the author narrates the complex and often surprising process by which Louisiana deployed a transfer degree program in just two years. 5. Faculty-Determined Course Equivalency: The Key to Ohio s Transfer Mobility System 45 Paula K. Compton, Jonathan Tafel, Joe Law, Robert Gustafson Ohio s process for developing a comprehensive, guaranteed transfer system that connects colleges and universities, high schools, adult career centers, and the workplace is detailed in this chapter. 6. Faculty Reflections on Implementing Associate Degrees for Transfer in California 55 Jane Patton, Michelle Pilati This chapter describes California s intersegmental faculty-led system for implementing associate degrees for transfer. 7. The Role of Presidential Leadership in Improving New Jersey s Community College Transfer Experience Casey Maliszewski, Kathleen Crabill, Lawrence Nespoli Presidential leadership contributed to the implementation of New Jersey s transfer articulation legislation. 8. Developing a Culture of Transfer and Student Success in Arizona 79 Maria Harper-Marinick, Jeanne Swarthout This chapter provides an overview of the transfer model in Arizona, as well as recent efforts to enhance collaborations among community colleges, universities, and public schools in the state. 9. Putting the Pieces Together and Asking the Hard Questions: Transfer Associate Degrees in Perspective 91 Richard L. Wagoner, Carrie B. Kisker In this concluding chapter, the authors synthesize information from the volume, suggest a state-level model organizational structure for implementing transfer associate degrees, describe the interests and values of major constituencies in systemic transfer reforms, and note several hard questions that must be addressed if transfer associate degrees are to reach their full potential. 10. Sources and Information on Transfer Associate Degrees 105 Carlos Ayon This annotated bibliography provides links to and short descriptions of statewide legislation authorizing or mandating the implementation of transfer associate degrees in several states, as well as scholarly articles and reports on the subject. INDEX 111


Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death, and is characterized by accumulation of excessive extracellular matrix (ECM). Although the ECM of tumors, such as PDAC, has long been known to have major effects on behavior of both tumor and stromal cells, including invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and resistance to therapy, the detailed composition of the ECM in PDAC tumor progression and metastasis are not understood. To study the involvement of ECM proteins in PDAC primary tumor growth and the tissue-specific metastasis program, I modified the comprehensive ECM proteomic approach by Mass Spectrometry (MS) recently developed in our lab to profile the ECM changes during PDAC progression in both the LSL-KrasG12D/+; LSL-Trp53R127H/+; Pdx-1-Cre (KPC) mouse models of PDAC and human patient samples. We will compare ECM profiles from normal pancreas, pancreatitis, early and late pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) stages, and PDAC. Initial MS identified between 100 and 140 ECM proteins in samples representing each stage. The combination of mouse models and human samples will allow me to uncover critical ECM changes during PDAC progression and metastasis and, furthermore, to investigate and understand the functional consequences of such changes. The ongoing studies will characterize the ECM of PDAC in detail and provide novel insights into diagnosis, prognosis and treatments of this very difficult disease. Citation Format: Chenxi Tian, Daniel Olund, David Tuveson, Richard O. Hynes. Understanding the roles of extracellular matrix proteins in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression and metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr A45.


In this paper we examine the relationships between class and gender in the context of current debates about economic change in Greater London. It is a common contention of the global city thesis that new patterns of inequality and class polarisation are apparent as the expansion of high-status employment brings in its wake rising employment in low-status, poorly paid 'servicing' occupations. Whereas urban theorists tend to ignore gender divisions, feminist scholars have argued that new class and income inequalities are opening up between women as growing numbers of highly credentialised women enter full-time, permanent employment and others are restricted to casualised, low-paid work. However, it is also argued that working women's interests coincide because of their continued responsibility for domestic obligations and still-evident gender discrimination in the labour market. In this paper we counterpose these debates, assessing the consequences for income inequality, for patterns of childcare and for work–life balance policies of rising rates of labour-market participation among women in Greater London. We conclude by outlining a new research agenda.


Conflicts between birds and commercial aircraft are a noteworthy problem at both large and small airports [Cleary, 1999]. The risk factor for United States airports continues to increase due to the steady rise in take-off/landings and bird populations. There is a significant bird strike problem in the terminal area as shown by the incidents reported in the National Bird Strike Database [Cleary and Dolbeer, 1999]. The focus of bird strike mitigation in the past has centered primarily on wildlife management techniques. Recently, an Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) has been developed to reduce the risks of bird strikes to military operations [Kelly, 1999]. This system uses a mosaic of data obtained from the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD). This sensor serves as an excellent tool for enroute bird advisories due to the radar coverage provided across the majority of the United States. However, its utility in the airport terminal environment is limited due to the slow update rate and the fact that the distance of most NEXRADs from the airport results in beam heights that are too high to detect low-altitude birds over the airport.


BACKGROUND
Clinical studies have reported increased rejection in female heart transplant recipients. Conflicting data exist as to whether rejection is increased with male donors or female donors in these female recipients.

METHODS
We investigated in this study allograft rejection in four sets of gender combinations with and without immunosuppression with the use of a heterotopic rat heart transplant model: male donor heart to female recipient, female donor heart to female recipient, male donor to male recipient, and female donor to male recipient. To examine the possible effect of androgens as an immunosuppressant, we orchiectomized a group of male recipient rats before transplantation. The rats that were not immunosuppressed were evaluated for length of graft survival (palpation). In the immunosuppressed rats (cyclosporine, 10 mg/kg x 7 days) in each gender combination half of the grafts were evaluated for length of survival (palpation) and half for cellular rejection grade at day 14 (microscopy).

RESULTS
When rats that underwent transplantation were not immunosuppressed, no difference in graft survival time was found among the four sets of gender combinations. With immunosuppression, median graft survival time was 23 days in female recipients versus 32 days in male recipients (p < 0.05). Mean cellular rejection grade at day 14 was 2.95 +/- 0.7 in female recipients and 0.8 +/- 0.4 in male recipients (p < 0.01). No significant difference was found in graft survival time or cellular rejection grade with respect to donor gender. The graft survival times and cellular rejection grades of the male rats undergoing orchiectomy were not different from those of normal male recipients (p = NS). Cyclosporine levels on day 7 in both male and female recipients were high, female levels (1039 +/- 411 ng/ml) were less than male levels (2029 +/- 379 ng/ml) (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Female recipients of heterotopic rat heart transplants had shorter graft survival time and increased cellular rejection as compared with male recipients. Donor gender had no influence on graft survival or cellular rejection grade. Orchiectomy had no influence on graft survival time or grade of rejection. Results of this model suggest that female recipients may require increased immunosuppression and rejection surveillance, regardless of donor gender.


Pesticide storage sites and aerial application landing sites all represent potential sources of surface and groundwater contamination. Cleansing operations associated with spraying equipment and leakage of containment areas during torrential rains both represent vehicles for pesticide contamination of adjacent soils. The objectives of this research were to measure toxicity of percolate from treated contaminated soils and to determine what level of treatment would produce a nontoxic percolate. Two treatments were examined, activated carbon and agricultural limestone. Treatments were applied to soils contaminated with either toxaphene (1167 mg/kg), chlorpyrifos (96 mg/kg), or carbofuran (876 mg/kg). The toxicity of control water and percolates from uncontaminated soils (control), contaminated soil, and treated soils were measured with fathead minnows. Agricultural limestone was not effective in reducing the toxicity of contaminated soils. Percolate from contaminated soils resulted in 100% mortality and percolate from uncontaminated soils resulted in no mortality. Levels of activated carbon required for 50% survival of fathead minnows at 96 h were 62.7, 0.3, and 46.3 g of activated carbon per kilogram of soil for toxaphene, chlorpyrifos, and carbofuran contaminated soils, respectively. Expressed relative to soil contamination levels, the application rates which would produce 50% survival were 54, 3, and 57 mg of activated carbon per milligram of soil pesticide for toxaphene, chlorpyrifos, and carbofuran, respectively.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

The gene encoding the methionine salvage pathway methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) is a tumor suppressor gene that is frequently inactivated in a wide variety of human cancers. Loss of MTAP is associated with elevated expression of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a key enzyme in the synthesis of polyamines and a known oncogene. Here, we have examined if heterozygosity for a null mutation in Mtap could accelerate tumor development in two different mouse cancer models, Eα-myc transgenic and Pten+/−. We found that the median age of tumor formation in both models was significantly accelerated in Mtap+/− compared to Mtap+/+ mice. In Eα-myc mice, Mtap mutations accelerated the formation of lymphomas from cells in the early pre-B stage and these tumors tended to be of higher grade and have higher expression levels of ODC protein compared to those observed in control Emu-myc Mtap+/+ mice. Supprisingly, examination of Mtap mRNA and protein in highly lymphoma infiltrated tissue in heterozygous animals indicates that >80% of the tumors maintain expression of the Mtap allele. Our findings show that germline inactivation of a single Mtap allele enhances lymphomagenesis in both Emu-myc and Pten+/− mice and is associated with elevated levels of ODC.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2173. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2173


Abstract Since the description of Calligrapha scalaris (LeConte, 1824), a leaf beetle reported as an occasional serious pest of American elm, this taxon has been affected by remarkable taxonomic confusion. Most authors have invoked their particular and generally flawed concept of C. scalaris (LeConte) without reference to John E. LeConte's type material at the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cambridge, Massachusetts). In this study, I have revised the series for C. scalaris (LeConte) conserved as part of J. LeConte and G. Horn collections, and confirmed that it includes as many as nine Calligrapha species, most of them lacking an association with Ulmus. Among these specimens, a couple of them from Texas are recognized as generally consistent with the original description and the only potentially elm-feeding animals. Thus, despite legitimate doubts for their availability to J. LeConte at the moment of the species description, they are designated here as neo- and paraneotypes, respectively, in an effort to maximize taxonomic stability. The species is redescribed on the basis of the neotype and diagnosed from all other species in this group, defined here as the "Calligrapha scalaris" group, including a provisional identification key for 14 species and for specimens conforming to the respective types. Finally, the study of syntype material from the Museum für naturkunde (Berlin) of C. multiguttis (Stål, 1865), an early synonym of C. scalaris (LeConte), allowed recognition of several other Calligrapha taxa affected by this synonymy, including C. ignota Brown, C. knabi Brown, and C. tiliae Brown ( =  Chrysomela multiguttis Stål [pars] nov. syn.).


BACKGROUND
The process and content of nurse practitioner educational preparation has received scant research attention, despite increasing interest in and investigations into nurse practitioner services in Australia and internationally.

AIMS
The aim of this paper is to report a study investigating the educational process and content required for nurse practitioner preparation.

METHODS
A trial of practice was conducted with four nurse practitioner candidates over a 12-month period. The candidates practised in different specialities, giving rise to four models of the nurse practitioner role. The trial had multiple aims related to the role and scope of practice of the nurse practitioner. An action learning model was used, in which participating nurse practitioner candidates 'worked-into-the-role' of extended practice and learned from experience through clinical mentoring, reflection and action. Data collection methods centred on transcripts from group work activities related to a collaborative engagement with and reflections on clinical practice. This resulted in the collaborative production of data to inform a research-based nurse practitioner curriculum structure.

FINDINGS
The findings relate to the content and learning process required for nurse practitioner education and are described in terms of three broad areas of study: clinical practice, clinical sciences and nursing studies.

CONCLUSIONS
A curriculum structure that describes content and process for nurse practitioner education was developed from the findings. A further outcome of this trial was confirmation of importance of the clinical environment for nurse practitioner education. Inherent in this aspect of clinical learning is the role of a committed clinical mentor who can facilitate purposeful learning.


On one hand, food system analysts have been concerned about many topics: the rising age of farm operators, declining farm numbers, lack of adoption of practices and systems supporting greater ecological sustainability, and interest in increased food production for local markets. On the other hand, many energetic and enthusiastic people express interest in farming and producing more community-based food. Many of these people also claim values related to sustainability. Despite prospective and new farmers' strong interest and enthusiasm, most face numerous challenges in their start-up phase and many do not continue, even those showing considerable promise. In this paper we focus on the results from in-depth interviews with current and former start-up farmers in the Northeastern U.S. We illuminate four sets of factors related to "success" in farm start-ups: social context, personal characteristics, business characteristics, and luck. We then make three recommendations for the consideration of policy-makers, farm start-up advisors, and beginning farmers: advising and mentoring, conceiving of farms as parts of a larger food system, and focus on playing to strengths.


The constitution 'is no more and no less than what happens'. So wrote Professor John Griffith in the 1978 Chorley Lecture, which was later republished in the Modern Law Review in 1979. It was not the first time that Griffith dangled this tantalizing aphorism before his readers, but it was this lecture that saw it melt into the vocabulary of public law. It might seem trite to spotlight this aphorism from what is a rich and intricate lecture full of important insights as well as memorable phrases. However, as we see it, and writing at the end of March 2019, constitutional practice over the last three years —or, for that matter, the last three months, the last three weeks, or even the last three days—underscores the continuing relevance of Griffith's insights into the complex and contingent nature of the relationship between law, politics and the constitution.


The elements of fracture fixation, 4e-Anand J. Thakur 2019-12-10 Orthopaedic community's understanding of fracture healing process changes with newer methods of scientific investigations. The new knowledge when applied to clinical practice, changes the way one uses the existing implants. This edition incorporates these changes and presents a lucid and contemporary account of the biomechanical and clinical aspects of the elements of fracture fixation. In this excellent volume, Dr Thakur has organized the basic principles and scientific rationales involved in fracture fixations. His easy-to-understand descriptions of screws, plates, nails, wires, cables and external fixators are good resource tool, and provide a thorough review of basic biomechanics. The Elements of Fracture Fixation is an exquisite compendium of fracture fixation implants, written by an experienced surgeon, for residents, fellows and masters. It explains the fundamentals of fracture fixation in a format that is concise, well organized and easy to follow, and addresses the biomechanical principles and usage techniques of the wide range of modern orthopaedic trauma implants in use today. It is certainly a well-illustrated, most concise, clear and well-written book on the various implants and concepts of fracture fixation. Salient Features An in-depth resource to the amply stocked toolbox of today's fracture surgeon A compendium of fracture fixation written by an experienced surgeon for fellows, residents and masters Elegantly illustrated and lucidly explained presentations of today's fracture fixation devices The designs and the application techniques in various anatomical regions, mechanical effects, hazards and contradictions described along elucidative graphics New to This Edition New screw design Discussion on interfragmentary motion modulation to promote bone healing New methods of stabilization and fixation of hip fractures New theory of bone healing and nonunion Illustrative videos New screw design Discussion on interfragmentary motion modulation to promote bone healing New methods of stabilization and fixation of hip fractures New theory of bone healing and nonunion Illustrative videos


OASIS, a database programming environment that extends UNIX with the concept of persistent objects, is discussed. The OASIS query languages extend conventional database query languages with procedural methods and general control statements. As the complexity of the languages makes it difficult to device a query optimizer based on a universally applicable algorithm, each query in OASIS is optimized based on a collection of basic patterns for which each pattern is associated with a separation query optimization algorithm. The optimization techniques for a set of basic patterns consisting of iterative statements and a set of nested statements is described. The optimization techniques discussed include an extended decomposition algorithm, evaluation of multiple conditions, data dependence analysis, and optimization of queries with arbitrary nesting. >


Despite promising progress on unimodal data imputation (e.g. image inpainting), models for multimodal data imputation are far from satisfactory. In this work, we propose variational selective autoencoder (VSAE) for this task. Learning only from partially-observed data, VSAE can model the joint distribution of observed/unobserved modalities and the imputation mask, resulting in a unified model for various down-stream tasks including data generation and imputation. Evaluation on synthetic high-dimensional and challenging low-dimensional multimodal datasets shows improvement over the state-of-the-art imputation models.


Background With the prevalence of severe obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) continuing to rise, bariatric surgery offers a successful treatment option. It is both clinically and cost effective, with the largest benefit among those with T2DM. Despite this, bariatric surgery is severely under-resourced in Ireland. Our aim is to estimate the number of people in Ireland who would potentially benefit from bariatric surgery based on established clinical criteria. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of population based sample of adults aged ≥50 years who participated in wave 1 of TILDA (2009–2011) and attended the health assessment. Eligibility for bariatric surgery is based on two sets of criteria used to identify those most likely to benefit from surgery: firstly BMI > 35 kg/m² and ≥1 of T2DM, hypertension, sleep apnoea and previous MI. Secondly BMI > 35 kg/m², T2DM and ≥1 of elevated urine albumin creatinine ratio, retinopathy, neuropathy, previous MI and peripheral vascular disease. Analysis was carried out in Stata using the survey function (svy). TILDA prevalence estimates were applied to the 2011 census population to estimate absolute numbers meeting the criteria in Ireland. The diabetes remission rate (after 3-years follow-up) of 65% reported in the literature was applied to model the number of people with T2DM and complications (criterion 2) with potential remission of diabetes following surgery. Results Among 5,873 participants in TILDA, 584 had a BMI > 35 kg/m² (10.4% [95% CI: 9.57–11.28]). There were 112 participants with a BMI > 35 kg/m² and T2DM (2.06% [95% CI: 1.70–2.49]). In TILDA, 410 participants met the first set of criteria (7.38% [95% CI: 6.67–8.16]). Applying this prevalence estimate to the number of people aged ≥50 years in Ireland, in 2011, provides an estimate of 85,244 (95% CI: 77,113–94,233) people potentially eligible for bariatric surgery. In TILDA, 50 participants met the second set of criteria (prevalence 0.97% [95% CI: 0.73–1.28]). Applying this prevalence estimate to the number of people aged ≥50 years in Ireland, in 2011, provides an estimate of 10,891 (95% CI: 8,228–14,416) people aged ≥50 years eligible for bariatric surgery. Provision of bariatric surgery to this cohort of patients could potentially result in an estimated 7,079 patients having acceptable glycaemic control not requiring medication. Conclusion These data demonstrate the urgent need to provide clinical and cost-effective interventions for people with T2DM. In Ireland the provision of bariatric surgery to those in greatest need has the potential to improve both patient outcomes and reduce healthcare expenditure.


In preliminary identification it is very often imminent to hare a look through the dried leaf in order to observe details of nervature, glands, lines, dots, crystals, etc. These are often difficult to observe against the light of a window or the light from the sun. An exceedingly easy, cheap, and satisfactory way is to have an extra cover over the top of the lamp used for bringing light to the subject under the binocular lens, with a circular hole (1½ cm diam) made in the centre of this. The leaf is put over this hole and one looks through it with a normal hand lens. The extra cover we use at Leyden is the metal cap of old jelly containers.
The second improvement is the etching of a net of sq. millimetres in the glass bottom of petri dishes, at least in most of the central portion of these. This facilitates taking exact measurements under water; no loose special metal or glass millimeter strips are needed any longer. The etching proved to be rather expensive in Holland; each dish costed about US $.4.-, but we are very glad to have them.


Advances in wireless networks enable high rates interaction between mobile devices. Short range wireless communication technologies such as wearable PCs demand low latency and reliability as the first thing for considering QoS. Mobile peer-to-peer devices as an autonomous system of mobile routers that are self-organized, self-configured and completely decentralized are characterized by bounded resource sharing reliability. Due to the uncertainty in available resources wireless networks could rarely host file sharing applications in a reliable manner. This paper examines the response of a gossip-based data replication scheme for reliable file sharing under specified patterns and conditions, using the hybrid mobile infostation system (HyMIS). This scheme is based on the advantages of mobile infostations. Combining the strengths of autonomic gossiping and the hybrid -entirely mobile- infostation concept, this scheme enables end to end reliability. Examination is performed for the response, the robustness and the offered reliability while examining the effectiveness of the proposed scheme for facing mobility limitations using the gossip-based 'selection' of users


The bottom contact heterojunction organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) based on n-type hexadecafluorophthalocyaninatocopper (F16CuPc) and p-type copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) bilayer were developed by the vacuum evaporation, which were applied to detect nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The sensors with different thickness (5nm, 10nm, 15nm and 20nm) of CuPc were prepared to investigate the influence of CuPc film thickness on the properties of devices. The results showed that four parameters including the source-drain current (IDS), grid current (IGS), threshold voltage (VT) and carrier mobility (μ) changed in a few seconds when the sensors were exposed to the atmosphere of NO2. Further more, IDS and IGS presented extremely similar variation trend. So the grid current would be taken as a new parameter to reveal the response characteristic of OTFT gas sensor. By comparison, the device with 15nm CuPc thin film exhibited the optimum electronic and gas sensing properties.


WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Existing data do not demonstrate a need for combination therapy after antimicrobial susceptibility data indicate adequate in vitro activity with b-lactam monotherapy. However, the role of empirical combination therapy for the treatment of Gram-negative bacteremia in children remains unsettled. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: We conducted a retrospective, propensity-score matched study demonstrating no improvement in 10-day mortality of children who have Gram-negative bacteremia receiving empirical b-lactam and aminoglycoside combination therapy compared with b-lactam monotherapy, unless the bacteremic episode was attributable to a multidrug-resistant organism. abstract BACKGROUND: Empirical combination antibiotic regimens consisting of a


This paper first presents a research framework for e‐service evaluation within four categories: cost, benefit, functions and development, each incorporating a number of factors. Through data analysis and hypotheses testing, inter‐relationships among the factors of the four categories are examined. The results show that the development type of an e‐service has a significant effect on the degree of user satisfaction. Expertise, technique and expense are the principle factors limiting current e‐service adoption. The most significant finding is that, in the development of e‐services, certain cost factors are significantly more important than others in relation to certain benefit factors. The finding is presented as a cost‐benefit factor‐relation model. This provides an insight into whether investment in certain areas of e‐service applications is more important than in others for particular business objectives. These results have the potential to improve the strategic planning of companies by determining more effective investment areas and adopting more suitable development activities where e‐services are concerned.


The administration of synthetic steroid copies is one of the most important issues facing sports. Doping control laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) require methods of analysis that allow endogenous steroids to be distinguished from their synthetic analogs in urine. The ability to measure isotope distribution at natural abundance with high accuracy and precision has increased the application of Gas Chromatography-Combustion-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS) to doping control in recent years. GC-C-IRMS is capable of measuring the carbon isotope ratio (delta(13)C) of urinary steroids and confirm their synthetic origin based on the abnormal (13)C content. This tutorial describes some of the complexities encountered by obtaining valid delta(13)C measurements from GC-C-IRMS and the need for careful interpretation of all relevant information concerning an individual's metabolism in order to make an informed decision with respect to a doping violation.


Since COVID-19 required a significant shift to increased online teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in spring 2020, one narrative has been that students do not like online classes, and online classes are inferior to those delivered live and in person. This Article takes issue with this broad and overarching criticism of online course delivery. No doubt, some types of students may not learn as well online as they do in the classroom, and some online classes may not be designed to deliver a quality learning experience. Our experience teaching asynchronous online classes in law school, however, demonstrates that there are many benefits to a well-designed online course that can enhance student learning—benefits that can be incorporated into law school pedagogy even after the pandemic is no longer a threat to health and safety of students and faculty. Specifically, in a well-designed asynchronous class, students have opportunities for regular formative assessments; they receive regular teacher and student feedback on their work; and they are required to "speak up" in class through written and oral discussions.


Drug supply strategies have not been widely included in Latin American health reform programs. National efforts, when they have included such strategies, have focused on supporting drug availability for inpatient treatment and, in some cases, for ambulatory treatment of low prevalence and high-cost diseases. Nevertheless, some innovative drug supply programs for primary health care have been implemented in many countries. This article reviews and systematizes recent experiences with the supply of drugs in Latin American countries. Firstly, this article analyzes four phases of the cycle for managing drugs: selection, procurement, distribution, and use, and; secondly, it identifies lessons learned and some characteristics of efficient drug supply systems. Conclusions emphasize experiences which have not only achieved supply at low costs, but also have increased the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of primary health care, improved prescriptions, and strengthened the network.